To Dunne & Crescenzi in Sandymount last Monday to meet Fernando Olmeda Ollé, Technical Director of the Torres winery in Chile. Founded in 1979, which is prehistoric in terms of the modern Chilean wine industry, Torres is of course linked to the ‘mother ship’ in Spain and their other outpost in California. I think it was 1998 when I first visited the Chilean operation and I was back again about 10 years later. This time around the mountain came to Mohamed (ahem) and, as ever, I found the Cordillera to be head and shoulders above the other wines.

Cordillera is made principally from old Carignan vines with some Syrah and Merlot in minor roles to round out the hard edges. The 2005 was on tasting this time and it barely showed any signs of age. There’s smoky, spicy fruit on the nose and plenty of grip and intensity on the palate but this is no rustic yokel of a wine. There is civilised freshness and good length too and, above all, some personality. This wine has a sense of what it is and where it is from. Which is more than can be said for its white sibling, a Chardonnay with 12 per cent Viognier in the mix. We tasted the 2009 and it sloped across the palate, all sweet and soft, and then was gone. The red retails for €19.99 and the white for €17.99. Those two extra Euro buy you a wine that is twice as good.

Each of the attendees at the tasting was presented with a heavy wallet of brochures, leaflets and maps, about 15 in all, with nary a tasting sheet to be seen. And this from a winery that wears its eco-friendly heart very publicly on its sleeve. Surely some contradiction here? Especially since Torres has just signed up to the Barcelona Declaration, pledging to combat climate change.

Tags: Torres, Chile